Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Crazy Little Thing Called Love peaked at number two in the UK, it hit number one on the U.S. charts on February 23, 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. It topped the charts in Australia for six weeks. The song is written in a rockabilly style. As reported by Mercury in Melody Maker, May 2, 1981, Mercury composed "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" on the guitar in just five to ten minutes. Other accounts say that he wrote it while lounging in a bubble bath in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich during one of Queen's extensive Munich recording sessions. He took it to the studio shortly after writing it and presented it to bandmates Roger Taylor and John Deacon. The three of them, with their new producer Mack, recorded it at Musicland Studios in Munich. The entire song was reportedly recorded in less than half an hour (although Mack says it was six hours) Freddie Mercury - May 1981, Melody Maker: 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' took me five or ten minutes. I did that on the guitar, which I can't play for nuts, and in one way it was quite a good thing because I was restricted, knowing only a few chords. It's a good discipline because I simply had to write within a small framework. I couldn't work through too many chords and because of that restriction I wrote a good song, I think. Brian May, 1982 On The Record: Interviewer: Did you use a Fender on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"? Yes. I used on of Roger's really old, beat up, natural wood Telecaster. I got bludgeoned into playing it. That was Mack's idea. I said "I don't want to play a Telecaster. It basically doesn't suit my style". But "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was such a period piece, it seemed to need that period sound. So I said, "Okay, Mack, if you want to set it up, I'll play it". He put it through a Mesa/Boggie, which is an amplifier I don't get on well with at all; it just doesn't suit me. I tried it, and it sounded okay.

[Intro] [Chorus] This thing called love I just can't handle it This thing called love I must get 'round to it, I ain't ready Crazy little thing called love [Verse 1] A-this thing (This thing) Called love (Called love) It cries (Like a baby) In a cradle all night It swings (Woo, woo) It jives (Woo, woo) It shakes all over like a jelly fish Woo, I kinda like it Crazy little thing called love [Bridge] There goes my baby She knows how to rock 'n' roll She drives me crazy She gives me hot and cold fever Then she leaves me in a cool, cool sweat [Break] [Verse 2] I gotta be cool, relax, get hip And get on my tracks Take a back seat, hitch-hike And take a long ride On my motorbike until I'm ready Crazy little thing called love [Guitar Solo] [Verse 3] Yeah I gotta be cool, relax, get hip And get on my tracks Take a back seat Hitch-hike (Ah hum, ah hum) And take a long ride on my motorbike Until I'm ready (Ready Freddie) Crazy little thing called love [Guitar Solo] [Chorus] This thing called love I just can't handle it This thing called love I must get 'round to it I ain't ready (Ooh ooh ooh ooh) [Outro] Crazy little thing called love Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah Crazy little thing called love, yeah, yeah